Draft yoke for railway cars



Jan. 5, 1937. G. T. JoHNsoN EVAL y l 2,066,471`

DRAFT YOKE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed July l, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 5, 1937. G. T. JOHNSON ET Al.

DRAFT YoKE FOR RAILWAY cARs 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1, 1931 Patented Jan. 5, 193'? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRAFT YOKE FOR RAILWAY CARS Application July 1, 1931, Serial No. 548,243

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in draft yokes for railway cars, and more especially to a novel butt end for swivel draft yckes, which end will cooperate in, a new way with the standard A. R. A. center brace and draft lug casting without interfering with such casting during travel in buff.`

Many railway cars are now equipped with A. R. A.`rigid shank couplers, cast steel yokes and combined center braces and rear draft lugs,

and in order toobtain the advantages of the swivel type of coupler and yoke, it is desirable to replace the so-called rigid shank coupler and its horizontal keyed yoke with the swivel yoke and coupler. To make the change-over economical, as many of the old parts as possible should be retained, and that is one of the primary purposes of the p-resent invention.

Those skilled in the art are aware that with the rigid shank coupler, the cast steel yoke does not travel rearwardly during buff, there being sufficient clearance between the rear end of the horizontal key (which connects the coupler shank and yoke) and the corresponding end of the yoke slot to accommodate the rearward travel of the key without moving the yoke. Therefore, if the swivel type is substituted for the rigid type, and the yoke must move rearward with the coupler during buff, there will be insufficient clearance between the butt end of the yoke and the standard A. R. A. center brace and draft lug casting. One might say that this could be remediedin a simple manner by merely cutting away or recessing the rear face of the yoke butt. However, this would not only weaken the butt end of the yoke, but there would be no means at the butt end to prevent said end from moving to a position in front of one or the other of the lugs of the standard A. R. A. center brace and draft lug casting. Consequently, it would be` possible for the rear end of the yoke to be pushed over to one side or the other in the forward position, and to thusV engage the front end of one of the draft lugs, thus preventing the release of the draft gear and the return of the yoke to its normal position. This would be a serious disadvantage.

Another object of the invention is to construct the yoke butt in such manner as to eliminate any liability of this disadvantage.

Another object is to provide a yoke butt of strong and light construction, and one having guide extensions to cooperate with the standard A. R. A. center brace and draft lug casting to accommodate a change-over from the rigid type coupler to the swivel type.

With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view partly in horizontal section of the conventional draft sills of a railway oar tied together by a standard A. R. A. center brace and draft lug casting, and showing the relation of those parts to the butt end of our improved draft yoke when the latter is in normal position.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, partly in vertical section.

Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2, but showing the relation of the parts when the yoke is in its rearmost position.

Figs. 5 and 6 are views like Figs. 3 and 4, but illustrating the positions of the parts when the yoke is in its extreme front position.

Fig. '7 is a top plan view partly in horizontal section of a modification of the yoke butt.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional View of a portion of the modified form of yoke butt taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of a portion of the modified butt.

As the invention in the present case resides especially in the butt end of the yoke and its relation to the standard A. R. A. center brace and draft lug casting, it is deemed unnecessary to illustrate the front end of the yoke. Said front end may be of any suitable construction to provide a vswivel joint. For example, the forward end of the yoke and its connection to the coupler shank may be like that disclosed in the application of H. W. Stertzbach, J. S. McPherson and Arthur H. Filander, led June 18, 1931, Serial No. 545,324, which matured into Patent No. 2,004,300, June 11, 1935.

Referring to the drawings, I0 designates the conventional center draft sills of a railway car, between which is interposed a standard A. R. A. center brace and draft lug casting II having the usual front vertical flange I2 and rear draft lugs I3.

In order that these parts may be retained when a change-over is made from a rigid shank coupler construction to the swivel type, the vertical yoke I4 of the swivel type mechanism is provided with a special butt I5. The side edges of such butt are extended rearwardly to form vertical flanges I6 which extend throughout the height of the butt, and the medial portions of these flanges are cut away as shown at I'I to provide recesses. This causes the corners of the butt to project rearwardly as at I8. In other words, the upper and lower ends of each flange I6 project rearwardly to a greater extent than the medial prtions thereof.

The thickness of the wall forming the butt is increased at the top and bottom, as indicated at I9, and for reinforcing purposes, horizontal ribs 20 extend across the butt end of the yoke and merge into the flanges I6.

In Figs. 3 and 4, it will be noted that there is just sufficient clearance between the vertical ilange I2 and the central portion of the butt end of the yoke to prevent contact between these parts, when the yoke is in its rearmost position. At such times, the corners I8 project rearwardly above and below the flange I2.

The function of the corners or wings I8 is best illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, which show the yoke in its extreme forward position. In such position, the wings prevent the yoke butt from being pushed over in front of the lugs I3. Consequently, with our construction, the yoke will always return to its normal position after the pull is released.

It will be seen from the above that if the usual butt end construction were simply made shallower in order to accommodate a rearwardly travelling yoke to the A. R. A. center brace casting II, it would be possible for the rear end of the yoke to be pushed over to one side or the other in the forward position so as to arrive in front of one of the lugs I3, thus preventing the release of the draft gear and the return of the yoke to its normal position after the pull is released.

In the modification shown in Figs. '7 to 9 inclusive, the butt end is of substantially the same construction as illustrated in the other figures with the main exception that the rear edge portions of the wings I8a are inturned as shown at 2| to provide bding around the rear edges of the wings.

From the foregoing it is believed that the construction and advantages of our invention may be readily understood, and it is manifest that changes may be made in the details disclosed, without departing from the spirit of the invention, as expressed in the claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a railway car having a center brace and draft lug casting with a front flange and forwardly directed lugs adapted to be used with a connected coupler and yoke of the rigid type in which the coupler travels rearwardly independently of the yoke, means for using said car with a type of coupler and yoke in which the coupler and yoke move rearwardly in unison,

without disturbing the normal position of the said center brace and draft lug casting, said means comprising a yoke having a butt end provided at its sides with vertically disposed rearwardly projecting ilanges, said flanges being tied together and having their medial portions recessed to accommodate the front flange of the casting, the upper and lower portions of said Vertical flanges projecting rearwardly beyond said medial portions to operate between said lugs, the lugs of the casting being positioned at opposite sides of said butt end and functioning as guides for the butt end.

2. In a railway car having a center brace and draft lug casting with a front flange and forwardly directed lugs adapted to be used with a connected coupler and yoke of the rigid type in which the coupler travels rearwardly independently of the yoke, means for using said car with a type of coupler and yoke in which the coupler and yoke move rearwardly in unison, without disturbing the normal position of the said center brace and draft lug casting, said means comprising a yoke having a butt end provided at its sides with vertically disposed rearwardly projecting flanges, said flanges being tied together and having their medial portions recessed to accommodate the front flange of the casting, the upper and lower portions of said vertical flanges projecting rearwardly beyond said medial portions to operate between said lugs, the inner surfaces of the projecting portions of said flanges extending toward each other rearwardly and inwardly, the lugs of the casting being positioned at opposite sides of said butt end and functioning as guides for the butt end.

3. In a railway car having a center brace and draft lug casting with a front flange and forwardly directed lugs adapted to be used with a connected coupler and yoke of the rigid type in which the coupler travels rearwardly independently of the yoke, means for using said car with a type of coupler and yoke in which the coupler and yoke move rearwardly in unison, without disturbing the normal position of the said center brace and draft lug casting, said means comprising a yoke having a butt end provided at its sides with vertically disposed rearwardly projecting flanges, said flanges being tied together and having their medial portions recessed to accommodate the front flange of the casting, the upper and lower portions of said vertical flanges projecting rearwardly beyond said medial portions to operate between said lugs, the inner surfaces of the projecting portions of said flanges extending toward each other rearwardly and inwardly, and reinforcing ribs connecting the anges to each other and to said butt end, the lugs of the casting being positioned at opposite sides of said butt end and functioning as guides for the butt end.

GEORGE T. JOHNSON. HARRY W. STERTZBACH. 

